eBuddy Attempting To Deploy VoIP On Smartphones

The Skype’s dominance in the common-user VoIP Solutions segment will soon be challenged if Amsterdam based instant messaging company eBuddy has its way. eBuddy is apparently planning to design, develop & soon deploy, VoIP within its instant messaging platform of the same name. The company will only offer VoIP for it users on smartphones. eBuddy has additionally tied-up with Nokia to launch phones with eBuddy app already bundled in . Interestingly the Finland based phone maker, who still controls 20% of the world’s market, will introduce the phones only in India. eBuddy has more than 4.5 million subscribers in this country & remains an active provider in US, Europe & Indonesia with a global subscriber base exceeding 30 million. However, it seems to be steadily losing ground in China to local competition. We can’t help but think WeChat’s growing popularity is the cause of eBuddy’s regression in these regions. eBuddy’s VoIP does seem to come at a interesting time as WhatsApp which is enjoying wide customer appreciation, crucially lacks this very offering. However, Nimbuzz, has for long , been able to offer Voice Chat to its users. Hence, it could be interesting to observe how well eBuddy is able to popularize its offering & if users will forgo other applications in favor of eBuddy. VoIP is an emerging segment in developing countries like India. Though very much prevalent in developed countries, VOIP became legal 4 years back. Sensing the opportunity, even Research In Motion (RIM), the makers of Blackberry smartphones, decided to include the feature in their popular Blackberry Messenger (BBM) Service. Will eBuddy ride high on this feature? Do share your views. Image Courtesy | prweb Looking For A Social Media Agency?? – Contact WATConsult – India’s Leading Social Media Agency